Machine for decorating flat surfaces



W. R. SIMONTON MACHINE FOR DECORATING FLAT SURFACES Filed June 22, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. 3%

A TTORNEY Nov. 24, 1936. w. R. SIMONTON v MACHINE FOR DECORATING FLAT SURFACES Filed June 22, 1955 2- Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN T OR.

A TTORNEY Patented Nov. 24, 1936 PATENT-7' OFFICE- MACHINE FOR DECORATING FLAT SURFACES Warren B. Simonton, Huntington, W. Va., assignor to Owens-Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio Application June 22, 1935, Serial No. 27,882

2 Claims.

decorating or marking surfaces by a stencil or screen method. In its preferred form as herein shown, the invention comprises a machine for decorating the surfaces of bottles or other articles by a method in which an'ink, paint or other coloring or marking material is applied to the surface of the article by means of a squeegee which operates to force the decorating material through a silk screen or the like onto the surface to be decorated. The screen may beprovidedas usual with an imperforate coat or covering of sheet material from which has been removed portions defining the' design with which the.

readily adjusting the apparatus to articles of different sizes and shapes. 7

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation, parts being-broken away, showing a machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a part sectional endelevation.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional side elevation, the section being taken at the line IV-IV on Fig. 3.'

Fig.v 5 is a sectional plan at the plane of the line V- -V on Fig. 3.

The machine comprises a. supporting frame ll] provided with casters II. A horizontally disposed platform or table I2 is supported on'the framework It] and is adjustable up and down by means of hand wheels l3 on the lower ends of adjusting rods M which have a screw threaded connection with the frame ID. The upper ends of the rods l4 engage arms l5 depending from the platform 12. Clamping bolts I6 extend through slots i'I in the arms I5 and serve to clamp the platform in its adjusted position.

Parallel guide strips ll mounted on the platform i2 and extending lengthwise thereof, serve as guides for bottles H3 or other articles which are to be decorated. The guides I! are adjust- (Cl. 101-123) My invention relates to apparatus for printing,

able laterally to accommodate articles of different widths and are secured in adjusted position by clamping bolts I! which extend downward through transverse.slots in the platform. As

from the decorating zone, although this number may be increased or decreased, if desired.

The articles to be decorated are placed in position between the guides I! at or near the left-hand end of the platform I2 (Fig. 5) and then moved forward to the decorating zone where they are arrested by a pair of stops 22. These stops consist of rock arms fixed to the upper. ends of rock shafts 23 journaled in the platform I2. Secured to the lower ends of the rock shafts are rock arms 24, to the outer ends of which are'pivoted links 25. The inner ends of the links 25 are connected by a pivot pin 26. The rock arms 22 when swung outward as shown in dotted lines (Fig. 5) permit the bottles to be fed forward to the decorating zone. This cut-- ward movement of the stop arms 22 is effected by springs 21 connected at their outer ends to the rock arms 24 and anchored at their opposite ends to posts 28 depending from the platform l2. Recesses 30 in the outer guide strips ll provide stop. shoulders to limit the inward swinging movement ofthe stop'arrns 22.

The bottles I! while being decorated are held against the stop arms 22 by means oflugs or stops 60 which engage the rear ends of the bottles. The stops 60 are adjustably attached to a pair of horizontal rods 6|, the outer ends of which are secured to a vertical plate 33 provided with a handle 5H. The stop lugs 60 androds ii are guided in a pair of grooves 62 provided in the platform 7 l2. The plate 33 carries a horizontal push rod 32,

the forward end of which is adapted to engage a lug 63 on a slide block 64 in which the pivot pin 26 is mounted, thereby swinging thestop arms 22 inward as hereinafter described.

The decorating apparatus comprises a silk screen 35 or other conventional screen stenciled or provided in the usual manner with a pattern of the design which is to be transferred to the articles l8. The screen 35 is removably clamped or secured in a screen frame 36, the latter including clamping bars 31 and clamping screws 38'. The screen frame is supported on a frame member or supporting plate 39 which projects up wardly above the platform l2 and extends lengthwise thereof, said supporting plate forming an integral part of the frame In. The bars 31 are formed with heads 40 which are slidably mounted in a guideway 4i formed in the plate IO, permitting adjustment of the screen in a direction lengthwise of the guides I1.

tionary frame plate 89 for horizontal reciprocat- Squeegees or wipers ll which may be of conventional construction and which are herein shown as flat pieces of rubber or other soft flexible material, are carried by an arm ll. The connection between said arm and the wipers oomprises stems or carriers 44 connected by pivots 45 to said arm and having pivotal connections 4. with the wipers. The arm 43 is connected at one end to a yoke I! by means of a pivot 4|, the yoke I being formed at the upper end-of an arm I pivoted at its lower end on a pivot 'pin ll fixed to a slide block II. The latter is mounted on the staing movement lengthwise thereof.

The rock arm 40 has a limited rocking movement about its pivot determined by stop screws '2 adiustably supported in a frame It fixed to the slide II. The slide II and rock arm 4| carrying the squeegees, are actuated by a handle I at the outer end of a rod II, the inner end of which is connected to the arm n. Cam plates it formed with cam surfaces 1 serve to lift the arm I at the end of each operating stroke for lifting the squeegees over the decorating material N (Fig. 4) which piles up in front of the squeegees during the operating stroke. The decorating material may consist of ink, pigments, paint or the like. .The operation is as follows: Assuming the parts to be in the position shown in full lines (Figs. 4

vance of the squeegee during its preceding stroke.

At the same time the arm 43 is moved off the cam surface l1, allowing the squeegees to movedownward intoengagement with the screen. The continued forward movement of the handle 84 moves the carrier II forward and with it the squeegees or wipers 4!. The latter wiping across the screen II, force the ink or pigment is through the screen pattern in a; well known manner, applying the design to the articles ll. As the squeegees approach the limit of their movement to the right, the arm ll engages the opposite cam surface l1, thereby lifting the squeegees oi! the screen.

The operator now pulls the handle 3| outward to the dotted line position (Fig. thereby withdrawing the stop lugs 60- and permitting the stop arms 22 to be swung outward to the dotted line position (Fig. 5). A pair of bottles can now be placed in the guideways directly behind the pair which have Just been decorated. The handle II is then moved forward so that the bottles which have Just been placed on the platform are pushed forward into the decorating zone and the bottles arms 22 and the lugs 60.

l which have just been decorated are advanced beyond the decorating zone. The decorated bottles are thus fed forward step by step and pass from the platform I! onto an inclined support 5.

As the handle Ii approaches the limit of its forward movement in feeding a pair of bottles to the decorating zone, the rod 32 engages a lug II and moves the arms 2! forward, thereby swinging the stop arms 22 inward into position to engage the shoulders of the bottles as the latter are brought to position to be decorated. The bottles are thus securely held between the stop As above described, the forward movement of the handle '4 operates the squeegee for decorating a pair of articles. The next succeeding pair is decorated by pulling the handle N to the left. During this return stroke, the pair of articles beneath the screen are decorated in the same manner as the preceding pair were decorated during the forward stroke.

Modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for decorating articles, comprising a supporting platform, parallel guides extending along the platform and providing guideways arranged side by side to receive articles to be decorated and guide said articles into and beyond a decorating zone, stop mechanism for arresting a pair of articles within the decorating zone, said stop mechanism comprising rock shafts, rocl' arms secured thereto and projecting within said guideways in position to arrest the articles and hold them in the decorating zone, a-manually operable article pusher, a rod carried by the pusher to hold the rock arms in the said position, springs for withdrawing the rock arms, and means for decorating the articles.

2. Apparatus for decorating articles, comprising a supporting platform, parallel guides extending along the platform and providing guideways arranged side by side to receive articles to be decorated and guide said articles into and beyond a decorating zone, stop mechanism for arresting a pair of articles within the decorating zone, said stop mechanism comprising rock shafts, rock arms secured thereto and projecting within said guideways in position to arrest the articles and hold them in the decorating zone, a manually operable article pusher, a rod carried by the pusher to hold the rock arms in position to force a pair of articles against the pusher, springs for withdrawing the rock arms, and means for decorating the articles, said decorating means comprising a carrier supported above the platform and at one side of the said guides, an arm supported on said carrier and. extending laterally over the platform, squeegees carried by said arm, a screen having a stationary mounting in position to overlie the articles within the decorating zone, and means for reciprocating said carrier and causing said squeegees to traverse the screen. WARREN R. SIMONION. 

